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997.2 engine suddenly died at stoplight

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Old 08-03-2018, 12:42 PM
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chago996
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Default 997.2 engine suddenly died at stoplight

all lights came on on dash. No turning over while restarting. Waited 30 seconds and it came on like nothing ever happened. Happened last night on my way home. It’s 2010 997.2
got home ok, and retried restart and there would be a small hesitation between turning the ignition key and the engine, going blank for half a second and then it would crank and fire up ok. This morning it’s normal. Could it be a bad ignition key or battery. It’s on original battery and 104k miles. Getting towed to dealer this am just in case
Old 08-03-2018, 12:53 PM
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mike cap
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Originally Posted by chago996
all lights came on on dash. No turning over while restarting. Waited 30 seconds and it came on like nothing ever happened. Happened last night on my way home. It’s 2010 997.2
got home ok, and retried restart and there would be a small hesitation between turning the ignition key and the engine, going blank for half a second and then it would crank and fire up ok. This morning it’s normal. Could it be a bad ignition key or battery. It’s on original battery and 104k miles. Getting towed to dealer this am just in case
Main bus ground issue. Could be as simple as battery post loose clamp or sulfated connection.
Old 08-03-2018, 12:55 PM
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HenryPcar
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Subscribed.
Old 08-03-2018, 01:39 PM
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Wayne Smith
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8 years in on original battery? Wow.

Start with a new battery, that's due anyway.

Let us know.
Old 08-03-2018, 01:46 PM
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doclouie
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I agree with Wayne. I have never seen a battery last 8 years.
Old 08-03-2018, 02:02 PM
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Bruce In Philly
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8 Years... wow, sorry I had to pile on.... good job. Did you use a battery tender at all?

Peace,
Bruce in Philly
Old 08-03-2018, 02:08 PM
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Mumbles
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Replace the battery asap. Its as cheap as the tow to the dealer. Costco H7
Old 08-03-2018, 05:41 PM
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Robocop305
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I bet its the battery. These cars need the full amount of juice to work properly.
Old 08-03-2018, 06:16 PM
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mcfisticuffs
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Could be the battery.
Old 08-03-2018, 07:36 PM
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bheit1
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There seems to be a number of 997s with ignition switch electronic issues. That's what I thought when I couldn't get mine to turn over - happened to be the clutch interlock switch.

The battery in my wife's 2005 Toyota Highlander lasted 12 yrs - including as many sub zero Minnesota winters. I didn't think the thing was ever going to die.
Old 08-04-2018, 01:58 AM
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sandwedge
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Only reason I have some doubts about the battery is that it died with the engine running while at a stop light so it was getting all the electricity it needed from the alternator. This actually has more similarities to what happened when my high pressure fuel pump failed recently. Recall item that was replaced by the dealer at no cost.
Old 08-04-2018, 10:10 AM
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Petza914
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You've got your two most likely culprits identified here - bad battery (or bad battery connection) or the HPFP. 8 years out of a Battery is exceptional - most fail at almost exactly 5 years. The only vehicle I've seen batteries consistently last longer in is the Cayenne, where the box is located under the front driver's seat so they stay super clean, stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, but it's not the easiest thing to change quickly - good thing there are jump posts under the hood.
Old 08-04-2018, 02:36 PM
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chago996
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Well, it’s my daily driver, never needed a battery tender. It’s at dealer now, no news till Monday or so. Yes, it died while the engine was running so if it was the battery, wouldn’t it still run with the alternator? I guess anything is possible with these modern engines and how a battery interplay’s with the electronics during operation. That’s why I also thought it could be a bad ignition switch. All the lights in the dash came on when it died and the service rep asked me specifically if that was the case. Not sure what that means, but never seen them all illuminated like that. There is no check engine light that stayed on either. I also thought it could be the hp fuel pump, but when it died, and tried to restart, there was no cranking. If it is a bad fuel pump, I believe the engine would turn/crank but not fire up. There was no cranking at all. I’ll keep u posted
Old 08-04-2018, 03:58 PM
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nwGTS
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How much time passed from when you started the car to when the car died at the stoplight?

Had you driven it shortly before the trip when this happened. I’ve heard of this happening on 997.2s about a half dozen times including my own car.

My conditions were when I started a short 10 minute drive to parking it for maybe two minutes. Then starting and rolling to a stop sign 45 seconds later. It died at the stop sign. Same Christmas tree light show. It then cranked right up again and no problems ever since. That was two years ago. I was on an old battery and since changed it but think it has more to do with the car running too rich on the start up thinking it needed to heat the cats. Probably something to do with heat soak but that’s just an educated guess.

No idea if my situation mirrors yours but it’s one data point for you.
Old 08-05-2018, 04:51 AM
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Tcc1999
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Originally Posted by sandwedge
Only reason I have some doubts about the battery is that it died with the engine running while at a stop light so it was getting all the electricity it needed from the alternator. This actually has more similarities to what happened when my high pressure fuel pump failed recently. Recall item that was replaced by the dealer at no cost.
You’re doubts are well founded, but these are funny cars when it comes to the battery. My battery recently died (a sudden death but I knew it was coming after 6 years), but before it did the car was turning over but with issues. The clock would reset, the gas gauge would not work, and the oil pressure was 0. I knew they were battery related issues upon ignition b/c I used a battery jumper to start the car (to test the weak battery theory) and my car started perfectly with all the gremlins gone - and they stayed gone while driving. So there are some things that a good battery controls upon start up that are not compensated for by the alternator. I have absolutely no idea if a bad battery is responsible for the OPs issues, but I do know that the battery, at least in my car’s ECU, has some role.

Oh, and as to the car just dying for no reason. When my car was 2 years old, in 2nd pulling up to a stop sign (2 minutes after starting), the engine just died. Came to a stop, restarted without a problem, and drove away. This was the only time it ever happened. Just a blip in the electronics I guess (no error codes).


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